Pistons

Report: Tom Gores Expected To Pursue Tom Izzo As Next Pistons Coach

EAST LANSING, MI – DECEMBER 04: Head coach Tom Izzo of the Michigan State Spartans yells from the bench in the fist half while playing the North Carolina Tar Heels at the Jack T. Breslin Student Events Center on December 4, 2013 in East Lansing, Michigan. North Carolina won the game 79-65. (Photo by Gregory Shamus/Getty Images)

Izzo, who has led the Spartans for nearly 20 years and is an eight-time National Coach of the Year, has flirted with the NBA before, most notably in 2010 with the Cleveland Cavaliers when superstar LeBron James was entering free agency. A decade earlier, the Atlanta Hawks had also tried to land Izzo.

To be sure, Izzo has accomplished plenty in the college ranks, building Michigan State into a perennial title contender that has already won one national championship under his leadership. Izzo has constructed the program with a blue-collar mentality, a far cry from the perception many have of the NBA and its millionaire players, so whether his style would mesh with the professional game is a fair question.